Strategic Geography
🇷🇺Russia
With sanctions and counter-sanctions now entrenched, Russia’s energy flows and evasion methods offer a window onto structural adjustment in global markets. This section collects the relevant analysis.
4 analyses
The Power to Freeze: How Stablecoins Carry U.S. Financial Sanctions onto the Blockchain
In 2026 Tether froze more than $470 million of USDT at wallets tied to Iran's central bank. Washington's power to freeze comes from dollar clearing, and stablecoins extend it on-chain: the GENIUS Act requires issuers to be able to freeze, burn or block transfers on the order of a court or federal agency, and foreign issuers that cannot comply lose the American market. Immutable code and an adversary's own token lie beyond its reach, but CIPS, mBridge, the digital yuan and the digital euro reach nowhere near as far as the dollar. Taiwan's banks, exporters and life insurers sit inside the system.
After Vučić: What Serbia's Change of Government Means for China, Russia and the EU
On 25 October 2026 Serbia's Student List won a snap election and ended 14 years of Progressive Party rule. The movement grew out of protests over a station canopy, renovated by Chinese contractors, that collapsed and killed 16 people. The new majority promises to publish contracts, but it keeps the partnership with China, opposes sanctions on Russia and takes a harder line on Kosovo, an obstacle on the road to the EU.
When Markets Shift to the EU: How Conflicts Redefine Food Safety and Quarantine Standards Between Adversaries
Does war rewrite food safety and quarantine rules between hostile nations? Residue limits rarely change overnight; what goes first is the recognition of certificates, plant approvals, and border clearance. As Ukraine and Moldova turn toward the EU, conflict is steadily eroding regulatory trust.
Oil Tankers Bound for India: How the Russia-Ukraine War Turns Energy Sanctions into Great Power Leverage
The Russia-Ukraine war and Western sanctions have redirected global oil flows. By absorbing discounted Russian crude, India transforms an energy crisis into geopolitical leverage. This article analyzes India's energy decisions, refining capabilities, and strategic autonomy.